Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that affects about 10% of the population. The word “apnea” is a Greek word meaning breathless, and it aptly captures the essence of the condition. With sleep apnea, people stop breathing for at least 10 seconds, multiple times, during their sleep. They then wake up, resume breathing, and try to get back to sleep.
This condition can severely affect your quality of life and may necessitate a visit to the sleep lab Glendale. However, it isn’t easy to know whether you have sleep apnea because most people don’t recall waking up at night to breathe. Well, here are five pointers that you might have sleep apnea.
You Snore Loudly
Snoring is a common occurrence that doesn’t always point to any medical condition. However, most people who have sleep apnea tend to snore loudly. Difficulty in breathing, which is the hallmark of sleep apnea, leads to the vibration of the tissues in the mouth, resulting in a rattling sound.
If you snore so loudly that it bothers your partner, you should talk to your doctor about it. They will perform the requisite tests to rule out sleep apnea as the cause of your snoring. The doctor will recommend an appropriate treatment plan if sleep apnea is present.
You Experience Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
If you feel excessively sleepy during the day, you may have sleep apnea. Every time a person with sleep apnea stops breathing, the brain forces them to wake up so they can resume breathing. This disrupts their sleep cycle and prevents them from having peaceful, restful sleep.
Considering that people with severe sleep apnea can wake up hundreds of times per night, it is easy to see why they are prone to falling asleep during the day. So if you doze off during a conversation or when performing routine tasks, you might have sleep ap nea.
You Wake Up With a Dry Mouth
When people with sleep ap nea wake up to breathe, they often gasp and choke as they try to inhale. And as any doctor will tell you, it is not easy to gasp with your nose. Consequently, most people with sleep ap nea sleep with their mouths open.
If you sleep with your mouth open, it likely will be dry and gummy in the morning. This is why waking up with a dry mouth is a tell-tale sign of sleep ap nea and one that you should bring to your doctor’s attention quickly.
You Wake Up Frequently to Urinate
Frequent urination is a rare yet tell-tale indicator of extreme sleep apnea. When you have trouble breathing, it increases pressure in the heart, consequently affecting the hormone that controls urine production. This results in frequent urination at night.
Your Partner Tells You That You Have Trouble Breathing at Night
The most indicative clue for sleep ap nea is your partner informing you that you have trouble breathing when you sleep. They might see you wake up several times at night choking on your breath, gasping for air, breathing, and then going back to sleep.
You will likely not have any recollection of any of these things happening. But if your partner raises concerns about your breathing, it is best to consult your doctor.
Sleep ap nea is a severe condition that requires medical intervention. If you have any of the signs discussed here, you should raise them with your doctor. The doctor will conduct a sleeping test and recommend the best plan to deal with the condition.
